Motor-starter.



J. FPWILKINSONK MOTOR STARTER.

1 APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16, i909. 1,002,616. Patented Sept. 5,1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

11mm 1 9 I /?/em%i %7 J. F. WILKINSON.

MOTOR STARTER.

' APPIJIOATION FILED JAN. 16, 1909.- 1,002,61 6.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

erme efzfif we Patented Sept. 5 ,1911.

J. F. WILKINSON.

MOTOR STARTER. APPLIOATION FILED JAN.16. 1909.

Patented Sept. 5, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNI'IED STATES; PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN FRANKLIN WILKINSON, OF GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

MOTOR-STARTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented se t. 5-, 1911'.

Application filed January is, 1909. Serial No. 472,672.

started by the driver while remaining in his seat.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a motor starter whichis entirely mechanical and positive in its action, being therebyindependent of storage reservoirs for gas "under pressure, or of pumpingmeans for producing a pressure such as have hithertobeen used forsimilar purposes. g l

A secondary object is toeliminate danger of any of the parts of themechanism being broken in consequence of a prematurejignition of thecharge in the motor'cylinder, which would have the effect of driving themotor in the direction opposite \to that intended.

Still another object is to make the construction of the mechanism suchthat a single impulse applied by the driver will bev suflicientto carrythe motor past the dead point, and thereby permit the expansion of acharge compressed in one of the motor cylinders to'carry the rotatingparts beyond the point at which they are left by the starting mechanismat the end of a stroke thereof.

A still further object is to construct the mechanism in such a way thatthe oscillating driver may be swung through more than half arevolutionin order that it may be operable in one actuation to carry themotor'past the firing point of one of the cylinders, where it is appliedto a fourcylinder motor. III carrying out the objects of the invention,I have provided a positive clutch con- 5 sisting of two primary members,one of which is secured to the shaft of the motor, and the other ofwhich is arranged to be os cillated by the driver or operator of the motor; and makes positive engagement with sleeve maybe, andordinarily is,apart er the first member of the clutch. In order to eliminate danger ofbreakage from backfil'lllg Of the motor, I provide a cam leverassociated with the driving member of the clutch to effect disengagementthereof from thedriven member.

An embodiment of the invention i'sill'u'strated in the' accompanyingdrawings,

forming a part of this specificatiomi 1h" which,-

Figure 1 represents a plan view of theap paratus applied to the motor ofan automobile, showing enough of the automobile cation. Fig. 2represents an elevation. of the same. Fig. 3 represents a plan' view,

I partly in section, of the mechanism alone.

Fig. 4: represents a sectional elevation of the frame to illustrate themanner of its appliclutch members of the mechanism, showing them intheir normal position of rest. Fig.

5 represents a similar view of the same members, showing them at the endof a stroke. Fig. 6' re'presents an elevation of the same parts, showingthe clutch members about to become disengaged in consequence ofareversedriving thereof upon back-firing of the motor. Fig. 7 represents adiagrammatic view illustratingthe path of the driving member of theclutch.

The same. reference characters indicate the same parts in all thefigures. The clutch members of the motor starter consistof anoscillative driver 1 and a rotar v driven member 2. The latter isPreferably a disk, which, when the .device is connected with an internalcombustion mo- .tor, is secured to the shaft 3 thereof and I The thedisk parallel to the axis thereof. The

driver has, preferably. on its end, a complemental shoulder 5 adaptedtoengage either of the shoulders 4 and impart movement to the disk. Thedriver is in the form o f -a lever 01' pawl pivotedupon a stud 6 on' .a-c arrier 7 The latter is an arm mounted to oscillate concentricallywith the. disk, and has a but 8 carried by a shoulder. or flange L9, ona sleeve- 10 which surrounds the shaft 3. ;This

. by headed screws 12.

is moved by a transverse operatingashaft less than the distance from thepivot to the 16 having a foot-lever 17 and a hand-lever 18. Thefoot-lever projects through the floor of'the automobile, as illustratedin Fig; 2, and the hand-lever is at the side, so

that it may be conveniently grasped by the driver. Connection betweentheshafts 16 and 15 is made. by arms 19 and 20and' a link 21. Theconnection is such thatwhe'n'ever the foot-lever is depressed or thehand-lever swung forward, the arm. 14 is rais'ed.* This armis connectedwith the driver and its carried by a link 22' which is engaged with astud 23- on the driver. This stud is eccentric of the pivot 6 and is solocated with respect to the pivot that when a pull is applied to thelink, the driver is oscillated and its longer arm carrying the shoulder5 is swung outward into the path traveled by the pins 4:. Excessivemovement in this direction is checked by a pin 24 on the carrier withwhich a shoulder 25 on the driver engages. A spring 26 interposedbetween the stop pin 24 and the driver also tends to throw the shoulder5 thereof outward, I

A cam lever 27 is pivotally mounted on a stud 28 carried by'the drivereccentrically ofthe pivot 6 thereof. This stud is on the opposite sideof the pivot from the shoulder 5 disk or flange 9, having an eccentriccurved surface 29-which rolls on the cylindrical surface; of'saidflange. The distance fromthe pivot 28 to'the too '30 of the cam leverisheel 31 of the lever, so when the heel is against the flange 9, theshouldered end 5 of the driver is moved inward from the path of the pin4. A spring 32 is interposed between an arm 33 of the driver and a camlever 27 to hold the cam face thereof against the collar 9. A

When pressure is applied by the arm 14 to the driver, it is communicatedthereto by the link '22 in such 'a way as tote'nd to swing the short armof the driver inward,

and .the arm, having the clutchshoulder or tooth 5 outward. Thismovement is resisted by the lever-p27, which, when the device is innormal with the ange 9. 7 As the movement 'of the "carrier 7 proceeds,in -.consequence of -the pull appliedthereto, the cam lever rolls on theflange 9, until the toe thereof comes adjacent to the surfaceofthe'flange. Then the shoulder is allowedtoswing'outward and toengagethe.-'pin. *Movementqofi the nd the cam lever extends toward-theosition, has its heel in contact.

carrier and driver then drives the disk 2 forward, and the camleverslides around the periphery of the disk 9.

In case an ignition in the motor should occur before the crank thereofhas been carried by the dead point and while power is still beingapplied by the driver to the disk,

the latter is driven reversely and the pin 4 pressed against the driverwith great force. The driver is then moved backward and the cam'lever'rolls i'n the'opposite direction on the surface of the flange 9,pushing the short arm of the driver outward and graduif the driver wereallowed to continue in engagement with the pin, upon occurrenceof a.back-fire, some parts would be broken, when the return of the driver isthus suddenly arrested. The cam lever 27, however, acts to disengage theclutch members before any possibility of breakage occurs.

The operating arm 14 is offset between its ends, and the link 22 'isalso offset a further amount in the same direction, so

when the parts are in'theirnormalposition of rest, illustrated in Fig.4, the driv'er is more than 180 in advance of its final position,illustrated inv Fig. Thereby the driver is enabled to rotate. throughmore than a half revolution, and can engage one 1 of the pins, when twoare provided, whatever may be the position of the disk, provided onlythe pins are diametrically opposite to each other.

The pins bear such a relation to the cranks of the motor and the drivercarrier is so positioned, that one stroke of the latter is enabledtoengage a pin and carry the motor beyond its dead point. The line ofengine cranks is illustrated by the broken line .e\

B in Figs. 1, 5 and 6. From these figures it will be seen that when thedriver releases either pin, the cranks have been carried by the deadpoint and the charge which has then been compressed in any cylinder isallowed to expand and carrythe engine forward. In the case of afour-cylinder motor, one of the cylinders is under compression whenevera crank passes the dead point,,.

and another cylinder is filled, ready to be compressed, so when themotor is allowed to come naturally to, rest, the expanding charge in onecylinder will be balanced by H the charge being compressed in the secondcylinder, and the cranks will occupy a horiz'ontal position. ;With mydevice, the clutch shoulders are so positionedrelatively to'the cranksof the motor theta complete stroke of the driver will carry the motorfar enough so that when released, it .will tend to move ahead slightlyof itself, and the compression will not be lost;

When the motor starts properly without back-firing, and pressure ontheoperating lever'is released, the driver and rock-shafts are returned tonormal position by means of a spring 34: surrounding a portion of theshaft 15 and engaging at one end the arm 14 and at the other astationary abutment 35. As soon gs the driver retracts, the pressure ofthe spring 32 acting on' the cam lever causes the latter to roll uponthe flange 9, and the driver shoulder is moved out of the path of thepins 4. This action is assisted also by the pressure applied to the link22, which acts in the same direction as the thrust of the cam lever. Incase the retraction of the driver is not rapid enough to move it clearof the path in which the pins travel,

' the latter will strike the end of the driver,

but the yielding manner in which the latter is mounted-obviates anydanger of breakage thereof. The travel of the driver carrier is stoppedat one limit by engagement of the link 22 with the disk 9, and at theother limit by the engagement of a stud 36 barried by the driver. withthe link 22. Thus the carrier and driver are prevented'from passingbeyond'the line of pivots of the link and being carried farther by thespring 34 into an operative position.

From an inspection of the diagrammatic a Fig. 7, it will beseen that theclutch shoulder of the driver travels in two paths which are concentricthrough the greater part of their extent, but eachofwhichis'eccentric'at one end. In starting rom; the normal position ofrest, designated at a, the driver shoulder. travels to b on an eccentricpath, continuing thence in the outer circular path 0 to the terminationof its travel at (Z. In returning, the, driver is retrac ed so that ittravels on the eccentnic path d"-e to the point e, and rettirns thende.on the inher circular path to the starting point a.

1. A motor starter coififiprising cooperating clutch element, one of,which is connected to the motor shaft and the btherto the power applyingmeans, and. means carried by, the second of said clutch elements havingan eccentric portion engaged with a stationary surface arranged to rollon such surface to disengage said clutch elements when the latter aremoved oppositely to the starting force. 1

The combination with a shaft and a clutch member secured thereto, of acomplen'iental clutch member by which power is applied to turn saidshaft, a stationary member having a smooth surface concentric with saidshaft, and disengaging means havin an eccentric surface in rollingcontact-wit the surface of. said stationary member and connected withsaid oomplemental clutch member to remove the same from the path of theshaft clutch member when the latter is moved reversely.

3. A motor starter comprising cooperating clutch elements, one of whichis connected" to the motor shaft and the other to the power-applyingmeans, a lever having an eccentric surface plvoted to one oftheelements, and a surface concentrlc wlth .the

shaft between said lever and the shaft, on

which the eccentric surface of the lever rolls and. against which thelever acts to crowd the elements apart when they are moved inoppositionto the starting force.

a. A motor starter comprising, in C01I1-' bination with a motor shaft, afly-wheel secured to said shaft, a driving element" movable bothcoaxially with the shaft in en gagement with said fly-wheel, andtransversely of the shaft, and means for imparting the latter movementto said. driving element when the fly-wheel becomes the driver. p

5. A motor starter comprising, 1n combination with a motor shaft, adriven clutch element secured to said shaft, a driving element movableboth coaxially with'the shaft in-engagement with said driven element andtransversely of the shaft into and out of engagement with said drivenelement, power applying means connected to said driving.

element in such manner as to give the latter its transverse movementinto engagement with the driven element when applying power, 'andmeansfor imparting the opposite transverse movement to said driving elementwhen the latter is driven reversel by the motor shaft.

6. A motor starter comprising, in combination with a motor shaft, adrivenclutch element secured to said shaft, a driving element movableboth coaxially with the shaft and transversely of the shaft into andout, of the path of said driven element, and being provided with aportion adapted to engage the latter when in such path, means tending tobring the driving element intothe path of the driven element, andpositive means located between the driving ele- -ment and the shaftconstructed, arranged and organized to move that part of thedrivshoulder, a carrier oscillatory ,about the axis '1 of said disk towhich said :com lemental clutch member is pivoted, means or swing;

ing said latter member into' engagement with said shoulder when moved,in one direction,"

and'means for swinging said member out of engagement with the shoulderupon commencement of motion in the opposite di-' rection. y

8. A mechanism for imparting rotation, comprising an .oscillativelymounted driver, arotary driven member having'an axially extendingshoulder or abutment at a distance I from the axis of rotation adaptedto be engaged by the driver, said driver having anengaging port-ionmovable into and out of 'the path of said shoulder and mounted at suchadistance from, the axis that it may pass between the abutment and theaxis,

- means for forcing said engaging portion outward into the path of theshoulder when moved in onedirection, and means for forc ing saidengaging portion inward outof such path upon commencement of movement inthe opposite direction.

9. A mechanism for imparting step-bystep'rotation,comprising a rotarydriven member having a clutch portion, a driver, means for moving saiddriver back and forth, said driver being so mounted that it is caused totravel in the path of said clutch portion when moved in one direction,and

smooth sur'faced eccentric rolling means for shifting the driver out ofsuch path upon commencement of it stravel in the opposite direction. a

10. A mechanism for imparting step-bystep rotation, comprising a rotarydriven member having a shoulder, a driver having a complementalshoulder, a carrler on which said driver is pivotally mounted, means forvibrating said carrier connected to said driver at one side of itspivot, whereby to bring said shoulder intothe path of saidcomplemental'shoulder in forward action,

and means for displacing the shoulder of the driver from the path. ofthe comp'lemental shoulder of said driven-member when the drivercommences its retracting movement.

11.. The combination with the fly wheel of an internal combustion motor,of a driver,

' means for vibrating said driver, cooperating shoulders on said driverand fly wheel by whichthemotion of the former in one directionis'transmitted to the latter, and means for shifting the shoulder of thedriver at the commencement of its semi-vibrationsfllespectively into andout of the path of the shoulder on the fly wheel.

" 12. The combination of a rotary driven member having a shoulder, acarrier mounted to move oscrl-latively about the axis of said drivenmember, a driver plvotally mountedv on. said carrier and having a'shoulder I adapted to engage the Shillildlf ofthe driven member andimpart motion thereto, means for bringing the shoulder of ,the driv erintothe path occupied b l driven memberwhen said carrier moved in'onedirection, and means for movmgithe driver shoulder out of such athupon'c0m-.

mencement of movement of t e carrier in'theopposite direction. I

13. The combination of a rotary driven member having a shoulder, acarrier mounted to. oscillate about the axis of said driven member,-adriver pivotally mounted on said carrierand having a shoulder adapted toengage the-shoulder of the driven member and impart mot-ion thereto, anoperatingarm connected -to said driver eccentricall of the pivot thereofto move the driver bet 1 oscillatlvely and bodily, bringing thedrivershoulder into the path of travel of the driven member shoulder whenadvancing the driver, and unyieldingmeans for--positively displacing thedriver shoulder from such path when the driver is retracted.

'14. The combination of a'rot ary driven. member having a shoulder, acarrier mounted to oscillate about the axis of said driven member, adriver pivotally mountedon said I carrier and having a shoulder adapted,to engage the shoulder of the driven member and in'ipart motion thereto,and a cam memb 1'' connected with said driver'for displacing theshoulder thereof from engagement 1 when the driver is retracted.

15. The COmbIDZItIOD'Of a driver, an oswith the shoulder of thedrivenmember eillative carrier on which saiddriver is pivotally mounted,a rotary driven member mounted coaxially with. said driver, complementalshoulders on said driver and driven members adapted to make positivevengagement, means for causing the driver shoulder to travel in the pathof travel of the driven member shoulder when moved in one direction, andwedging means for shifting the driver out of" such path andcausing'it-to travel in a difi'erent path when oppositely moved;

16. The combination of a dr1ver, an oscillative carrier on which saiddriver is pivotally mounted, a rotary driven member.

mounted coaxially with said driver, complemental shoulders on saiddriver and.

'movably mounted, a cam having an eccen trlc surface connected to saiddriver, and a surface over'which the eccentric cam lever is "shoulder ofthe caused toroll as said carrier is vibrated,

.125 vibrating carrier on which said driver isrooacio whereby the drivershoulder is moved into 1 18. A mechanism comprising a driven memberhaving a clutch shoulder, a driver having a compleniental clutchshoulder, a vibrating carrier on which said driver is mounted withprovision for moving relatively thereto, a cam having an eccentricsurface connected to said driver, and a surface over whichthe eccentriccam lever is caused to roll at the commencement of travel of-saidcarrier in either direction, whereby the driver shoulder is movedalternately into and out of the path of the shoulder on \the drivenmember whenever the carrier is reversed."

' 19. A mechanism comprising a rotary driven member, an oscillatlvedriver carrier,

a stationary cylindrical block, all concenpivoted to said shoulders onsaid driver and driven member respectively, an operating arm, a linkconnected to said arm and driver, the connection with, the driver beingsuch that power applied thereto will tend to oscillate the sameiabout'its pivotand swing the shoulder thereof inte t-he path occupied by theshoulder of the drivenmember, and a cam pivoted to said driver, providedwith an eccentric surface arranged to roll on said cylindrical block,and arranged to exert a" thrust on the'driver in opposition to thatapplied by the operating arm.

20. A mechanism comprising a rotary driven member, an oscillatlve drivercarrier, a stationary cylindrlcal block, all concentrlcally mounted, adriver pivoted to said carrier,

complemental positively engaging shoulders on said driver and drivenmember respectively, an operating arm, a link connected to said arm anddriver, the connection with the driver being such that power appliedthereto will tend to oscillate the same about its pivot and swing theshoulder thereof into the path occupied by the shouls der of the driven.member, and a cam pivoted to said driver, provided with an eccentricsurface arranged to roll on said cylindrical block, and arranged toexert a thrust on the driver in opposition to that applied by theoperating arm, and a spring arranged topress said cam against thesurface of the block. i

21. A mechanism comprising a rotary driven member, an oscillative drivercarrier, a stationary cylindrical block, all concentrically mounted, adriver pivoted to said Copies of this patent may be obtained forcarrier, complemental positively engaging shoulders-0n said driver anddriven member respectively, an operating arm, a link con nected to saidarm and driver, the connec-. tion with the driver being such that powerapplied thereto will'tend to oscillate the same about its pivot andswing the shoulder thereof intothe path occupied by the shoulder of thedriven member, a stop to limit such swinging of the driver, and a campivoted to said driver, provided with an. eccentric surface arranged toroll on said cylindrical block, and arranged to exert a thrust on thedriver in opposition to that applied by the operating arm.

22. A motor starter comprising a disk secured to the shaft of'a motorand having a clutch shoulder, a carrier mounted to oscillate about theaxis of said disk, a driver mounted on said carrier, having a portionadapted to engage and apply pressure to said shoulder, aswinging-operating arm, and a link connected to said arm and car.- rier,said arm and link being offset whereby to oscillate the carrier anddriver through more than a semi-revolution.

23. A motor starter comprising a disk as cured to the shaft of'a motorand having a clutch shoulder, a carrier mounted to oscillate about theaxis of said disk, a driver mounted on said carrier, having a portionadapted to engage and apply pressure to said shoulder, a swingingoperating arm,

and. a link connected to said arm and car-- rier, said arm and linkbeing oifsetand as ranged, when the carrier is in one extreme position,to partly surround the axis of the disk'and thereby be enabled tooscillate'the carrier and driver through more than a half revolution.

24. In a motor starter, a driven clutch member connected with the shaftofthe motor, an oscillative driver adapted to engage and impart motionto said member, a lever operable by the driver or operator of the motor,and a link between said lever and driver. bonstructed and arranged so aspartly to surround the axis of the driver,

whereby a thrust continuously applied to the lever in one direction-mayforce the driver against resistance through more than half a revolution.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

Witnesses:

I ARTHUR H. BROWN,

P. W. PEZZETTI.

Washington, D. C.

